OCR GCSE Gateway Physics

About this course

Old science gcse courses are being replaced by new ones. On this page I give details of both. Make sure you know which course you are taking – old or new!

Gateway separate sciences (triple science) are taught and examined in a different way compared to other courses.

For each science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), there are three Units as detailed below. The first two contain three modules each and the third is the practical, research-based part. So, for example, the first unit contains the two modules from the Gateway (core) science course plus one of the modules from Gateway Additional Science. Then the second unit consists of the remaining Additional Science module plus two extension modules. What this really means is that at the beginning of the course, you must decide whether you want to do double or triple science. You can’t do core and additional and then add on extension modules, as you can with other courses such as OCR 21st century and courses by other exam boards.

Some schools will cover the first units of each science in one year, then unit two the following year. Or you might concentrate on Biology first, then Chemistry, then Physics. There’s a great deal of flexibility.

Old course – J645

Unit 1:  Physics B Unit 1 – modules P1, P2, P3 (B651) – written paper – 33%
Unit 2: Physics B Unit 2 – modules P4, P5, P6 (B652)
Unit 3:  Physics B Unit 3 – ‘Can Do’ tasks and Report on ‘Science in the News’ (B655)
or
Unit 4:  Physics B Unit 4 – Research Study, Data Task and Practical Skills (B656) – Candidates produce a portfolio comprising three elements:
~ Research Study (24 marks)
~ Data Task (30 marks)
~ Practical Skills (6 marks)

New course – J265

Unit B751  Physics modules P1, P2, P3 – written paper  – 35%
Unit B752  Physics modules P4, P5, P6 – written paper – 40%
Unit B753  Physics controlled assessment – 25%

Exam dates

Old course:
Unit 1 – Monday, Jaunary 30th and Wednesday, May 30th.
Unit 2 – Thursday, February 2nd and Wednesday, June 20th.
Unit 3 – the controlled assessment, can be taken at any time.

New course:

Unit 1 – Friday, January 20th and Wednesday, May 30th
Unit 2 – The first exams will be in 2013 – dates to be confirmed

Exam papers

Old course: Past papers and other resources can be found on theOCR website.

New course: Specimen papers and other resources can be found on the OCR website.

Course content

These are the two extension modules. P1 and P2 are the same as Gateway (core) Science, and P3 and P4 are the same as Gateway Additional Science.

Old course – J645

P4:  Radiation for life  Module
a  Electrostatics – Sparks
b  Electrostatics 2: uses of electrostatics
c Safe Electricals
d Ultrasound
e Treatment
f  What is radioactivity?
g  Uses of radioisotopes
h Fission

P6:  Electricity for gadgets
a Resisting
b Sharing
c Motors
d Generating
e Transforming
f Charging
g It’s logical
h  Even more logical

New course – J265

P5:  Space For Reflection
a  Satellites, gravity and circular motion
b  Vectors and equations of motion
c Projectile motion
d  Action and reaction
e Satellite communication
f  Nature of waves
g  Refraction of waves
h Optics

P6:  Electricity For Gadgets
a Resisting
b Sharing
c It’s logical
d  Even more logical
e Motoring
f Generating
g Transforming
h Charging

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